Sunday, 6 September 2015

Goblin
Rebirth is a new germination of Goblin, the historic Roman prog band
best known for the soundtracks of horror films such as Deep Red
or Dawn of the Dead. The project was born in 2011 on the
initiative of two veteran Goblin's members, Fabio Pignatelli (bass)
and Agostino Marangolo (drums) and the line up was completed by Aidan
Zammit (keyboards, vocoder), Danilo Cherni (keyboards) and Giacomo
Anselmi (guitars). The band started performing live some pieces from
Goblin's old repertoire but also managed to work on original
compositions. In 2015 they finally released a brand new album on the
independent label Relapse Records: it's simply entitled Goblin
Rebirth and it was conceived as the soundtrack of an imaginary film
whose plot is described in the liner notes. During the recording
sessions the overall sound was enriched by some guests musicians such
as Arnaldo Vacca (percussion), Francesco Marini (cello), Roberta
Lombardini (vocals) and Dorraine Zammit Lupi (vocals) and I'm sure
that Goblin's fans won't be disappointed by this work...

The
excellent opener "Requiem For X" conjures up an atmosphere
of mystery. According to the liner notes, it describes a scene where
a strange character is observing a funeral ceremony from a hidden
spot... Well, the strange character is a goblin who looks at his own
final journey towards the pyre. How could it happen? He remembers...

The
following "Back In 74" takes you back in time and features
vintage sounds that recall Italian seventies scores full of car
chases and action... According to the story-line here the protagonist
begins a strange experience that drives him across space and time. He
relives his childhood and early adult life, he can see all his many
errors and feels that he has to follow a new way...

The
dark "Book Of Skulls" describes the climbing of a mountain
and the discovery, in a palace carved into the rock, of a mysterious
book. The protagonist can't understand the symbols written on the
pages of the book and their secret message but he puts the book in
his pocket and leaves the palace...

The
following "Mysterium" takes you through the labyrinth where
the protagonist gets lost after leaving the palace. The atmosphere is
tense and disquieting, you can feel fear and a sense of loss looming
large. The protagonist feels he's being manipulated like a guinea pig
in an experiment by an unknown entity...

On
"Evil In The Machine" the rhythm rises and the atmosphere
becomes almost unreal. The music veers to frenzied electronic
soundscapes and here every now and again it reminds me of bands such
as the Rockets, Kraftwerk or Alan Parsons Project. What did it
happen? Well, you'll never know how, but the protagonist is now
trapped into a video game and in this surreal world created by humans
he meets a beautiful female goblin: short circuit! The game is
over...

Goblin Rebirth on stage

On
the following "Forest" the rhythm calms down and we find
the new formed couple in a kind of garden of Eden, surrounded by the
beauty of nature. Now the atmosphere is relaxed, you can hear a
church like organ and the suggestive, ethereal female vocals of the
guest Roberta Lombardini while an electric guitar solo evokes a love
dream on the dark side of the moon... Is this love?

The
Gothic "Dark Bolero" conjures up obscure suspects, sins and
betrayals. The music for a while takes you back to the time of
Inquisition trying to describe a love that is falling apart, poisoned
by jealousy and infidelity. Eventually the protagonist realizes that
a goblin can never love and gives up: he just closes his eyes waiting
for the end of his painful days on earth...

The
closer "Rebirth" marks a new beginning. The protagonist
awakes in a new mood, you can here exotic percussion and acoustic
guitar passages while the keyboards weave the fabric of a new
spiritual dimension. Mr. X is back home now and his family welcome
him. He can start a new circle with a new awareness, while his
nightmare slowly melts in the light of a new day...

Well,
I doubt that this album will ever become the soundtrack of a real
film, so all the images are up to your own fantasy that the power of
music can stir, you can even elaborate a different screenplay if you
like... Have a try!

Michael
"Aussie-Byrd-Brother": A complete rebirth of the Goblin
sound may be a bit of an exaggeration, but 'Goblin Rebirth' still
sees this version of the band very inspired and determined to
impress, and they've succeeded in creating a very confident and
distinctive work. It ticks all the right boxes and will easily please
faithful Goblin fans, but there's a lavish symphonic prog sound in
general, with a gutsy modern edge that already shows Goblin Rebirth
forging their own unique dark identity. They not only compliment the
other currently active Goblin bands, but they also stand apart on
their own merits, and it's a triumph for lovers of the darker side of
Italian prog and instrumental prog in general... (read the
complete review HERE)

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

Algebra
are an Italian prog band from Benevento that was formed in early
eighties on the initiative of keyboardist Rino Pastore and drummer
Salvatore Silvestri. Well, this band is not one of the most prolific
ones.... After a debut album in 1994, “Storia di un Iceberg”, in
2009 they released this second work for the independent label
AMS/BTF, “JL”, inspired by Richard Bach’s book “Jonathan
Livingston Seagull”. The current line-up features Mario Giammetti
(vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass), Rino Pastore
(keyboards), Roberto Polcino (keyboards, accordion), Francesco Ciani
(drums, acoustic and electronic percussion) and Maria Giammetti (alto
and soprano sax, flute). In studio they were helped by some
prestigious guest musicians such as, among others, Steve and John
Hackett, Aldo Tagliapietra, Lino Vairetti and Goran Kuzminac that
helped enrich the sound. Algebra are great fans of Genesis, but the
music on this work is definitely less derivative than on their
previous one. It’s conceived as a long suite and features some
really good melodic, emotional passages...

It
was morning, and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a
gentle sea... The opener “Il molo deserto” (The deserted pier)
begins softly, two flutes wake up, then an electric guitar solo
(played by Steve Hackett) soars like a flight of seagulls... On the
next track the vocals of Aldo Tagliapietra, on a calm background,
draw the image of a solitary gull, which doesn’t care for food like
the others... “His name is Jonathan and he loves flying / He flies
far away / To lightly touch new horizons...”.

Next
comes “Il volo perfetto” (The perfect flight) where the emotional
vocals of Osanna’s leader Lino Vairetti describe Jonathan’s
practice until the notes of a sax solo lead to the light, delicate
instrumental “Aria nuova” (New air). We can lift ourselves out of
ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and
intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!

“La
gogna” (Stand to Center) describes the reaction of the flock
against the strange attitude of Jonathan. “Jonathan Livingston
Seagull! Stand to Center!” The Elder’s words sounded in a voice
of highest ceremony... “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”, said the
Elder, “Stand to Center for Shame in the sight of your fellow
gulls!”... “For his reckless irresponsibility”, the solemn
voice intoned, “violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull
Family...”. The solemn threatening voice of the Elder and the
puzzled voice of Jonathan are interpreted by Rino Pastore and Mario
Giammetti with passion, then a delicate flute passage leads to
another beautiful instrumental “I gabbiani non volano al buio”
(Seagulls never fly in the dark). Jonathan Seagull discovered that
boredom and fear and anger are the reasons why a gull’s life is
short, and with this gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life
indeed.

“Un’altra
dimensione” (A new perspective) opens with a delicate organ sound,
then synthesizers and an electric guitar solo introduce the voice of
Goran Kuzminac who sings describing the meeting between Jonathan and
two radiant gulls that show him the way to higher knowledge... “Come
with us they said to him / One school is finished, and the time has
come for another to begin / And they disappeared together into the
night...”. Well, Goran Kuzminac is one of my favourite Italian
singer songwriters and it was a true pleasure for me to listen to his
contribution on this album!

Next
comes “Al naufragio del mio sogno” (The shipwrecked dream) that
features the operatic vocals of Gianfranco Casiero soaring from a
dreamy atmosphere and melts into the exotic percussive pattern of the
short instrumental “Un battito d’ali” (A single beat of
wings)... “I’m still alive / In the caresses of every wind
breath...”. So this is heaven, he thought, and he had to smile at
himself. It was hardly respectful to analyze heaven in the very
moment that one flies up to enter it.

On
“Ciang” (Chiang) the intense voice of Italian rocker Graziano
Romani describes a new leg of Jonathan’s path to perfection and the
meeting with the Elder Gull Chiang... “I am Chiang and I am the
Elder Gull / I am here to teach you to fly / You will go to heaven /
When you reach the perfect speed...”. “We choose our next world
through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world
is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to
overcome... Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is
being perfect!”.

“Il
fattore tempo” (Working in time) is a beautiful jazzy instrumental
where Maria Giammetti’s saxophone evolves upon a background of
counter-bass and piano. “Those who put aside travel for the sake of
perfection go anywhere, instantly. Remember Jonathan, heaven isn’t
a place or a time, because place and time are so very
meaningless...”. The following track, “Il richiamo” (The
callback), is about Jonathan’s need to come back to his old flock
to show other young seagulls what he has learned and to teach them
how to fly... Hope and nostalgia mixed together in a delicate ballad
with a beautiful finale where sax and electric guitar take the lead.

On
“Fletcher” the lyrics describe the meeting between Jonathan and
his new student, Fletcher. New sensations and feelings, new theses
overcoming old rules while exotic notes of saxophone lead to the
delicate instrumental “Soffi da Oriente” (Gusts from the East)...

“Un’infinita
idea di libertà” (An unlimited idea of freedom) is another
excellent instrumental, joyful and relaxed at the same time, while
the following “Ritorno allo stormo” (Back to the flock) begins in
a more elaborate, dramatic way... “Break the chains / They keep the
thoughts in prison / Then the body will be free too...”.

Algebra 2004

“Presa
di coscienza” (Awareness) is beautiful piece about hope... It tells
of the meeting between Jonathan and a gull with a broken wing,
Maynard... “If you want to fly / Open your wings / And take it
easy...”. And Maynard, the injured gull took off towards the sky,
in the wind! “Nel vento della grande montagna” (In the Great
Mountain wind) is another short instrumental that slightly reminds me
of Le Orme’s “Aliante” and features John Hackett on flute.

You
need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real,
unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He’s your instructor... A moment later
Jonathan’s body wavered in the air, shimmering, and began to become
transparent... “L’addio” (Goodbye) and the following complex
instrumental final act “Atto finale” are a perfect epilogue for a
very good album that could give you the chance to rediscover an
amazing book...